Southern Pacific CS-35 36 foot flat car

thingiverse

This is a scale model of the Southern Pacific Railroad's initial steel flatcar, developed in around 1903. The CS-35 was a 36-foot long flatcar made from fabricated steel components. Simultaneously with this car, SP also designed the CS-35A 40' car in a contest to produce a better flatcar. Unfortunately, none of the CS-35A cars were ever constructed. The resin printed version of this model nearly rivals injection molded plastic models in terms of quality when using a good printer. Instructions I manufactured these flatcars on a Form One resin printer, with the models printing upside down. Once each car was printed, I corrected bubbles in the surface, tapped screw holes for 2-56 screws in the coupler and truck, and then painted the models. To create authentic wood decks, I cut individual 2x6 HO scale lumber to size and stained them using India ink before gluing them on with contact cement. Additional details were added to enhance authenticity; one model featured a brake wheel mounted on a piece of wire at one end, while another had an HO casting from the Tichy Train Group #3005 brake parts kit, modeling a KC-style brake cylinder. Kadee trucks and couplers held in place by plastic 2-56 screws were used to complete these authentic features. Printing a 36' car worked perfectly well within its diagonal orientation on the build surface, however; attempting to print a 40-foot long flatcar would only be feasible with an incline of thirty degrees. Unfortunately, simply printing a 36' or a 40' model without the support structure wouldn't have provided ideal results, as seen when trying it with one particular batch of resin prints; that batch showed significant voids along its side surface. These resulted from issues while laying down early layers during construction and might not allow the next higher layer to fully cure. Subsequent attempts saw much improved outcomes after I switched to Form Lab's conventional build structure for my supports, allowing a seamless build experience each time around without sacrificing too much on precision. Plans based on these models can be traced back to "Southern Pacific Freight Cars Volume 3," created by Tony Thompson and published under the label of Signature Press. While the plans do include a couple of photos showcasing the CS-35A flatcars alongside details about both 36-foot and 40' variations - keep in mind you might need both imagination as well as strong vision assistance due to relatively weak clarity levels; those looking for the complete guide will certainly benefit from closely reviewing said resource carefully prior attempting anything related with them. Further detailed steps and accompanying video documentation regarding constructing similar flatcar designs based upon existing knowledge may also be consulted via visiting: http://vasonabranch.blogspot.com/2014/09/printing-freight-car-southern-pacific.html.